Ghosts of the Past
by KatLady86
Summary: Sequel to Knife in the Coat...UPDATE BINGE! The gang heads to Tedon Tippidai, and the aftermath is more than anyone could have guessed...
1. Knives

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 1: Knives  
  
Iria ran the brush through her hair for the millionth time. Setting the brush down on the dresser, her eyes drifted over to the invitation. *How the hell did we get one of these things anyway?*, she wondered. Fingering the corner, she read the elegant script across the front.   
  
Hunter Iria and Guest are cordially invited to attend   
The Myce Historical Society Gala Ball.  
Please arrive at the Myce Historical Museum at 8:00 p.m.   
Black ties are required for the gentlemen.  
  
The last line caused her to snicker. Fujikuro? A gentleman? That was something she'd pay good money to see.  
  
Fujikuro picked up the razor, put it down, then picked it up again. "This is for Iria," part of him said. "She got the invite and it's not like Bob can take her. That's why I offered. This is for her."  
"Are you nuts?!?", the other half of him screamed. "Iria or no, isn't this taking it a little far? Can't you just bathe or something?!?"  
He sighed. "I promised. And I'm gonna do this right." Fujikuro reached for the shaving cream.  
  
Iria reached behind her for the zipper, swearing at her inability to grasp it. "Here ya go," Kei said helpfully, yanking the zipper up rapidly. Iria inhaled sharply as her oxygen capacity suddenly decreased.   
"You okay?", Kei asked. "You look blue."  
"I'm perfectly happy."  
"No, I mean the color."  
Iria sighed as much the dress would allow. "I just forgot how snug this damn thing was."  
Kei stepped back to appraise it. "Not bad. Not bad at all. It'll be perfect for your date with Fujikuro."  
"This is not a date!", Iria fumed.  
Kei shrugged. "Whatever you say. I'm gonna see what the freeloader's up to."  
She sneaked down the hall to Fujikuro's room. Cracking the door, she shouted inside, "Are ya ready for your date with Iria yet?"   
"This is not a date!", Fujikuro bellowed, turning around to face the little imp.   
Kei gasped and walked back to Iria, jaw hanging open.   
"What is it?", Iria asked.   
"All I can say is I can't believe it," Kei whispered.  
"Can't believe what?", Fujikuro asked.  
Iria turned to face him and her jaw hung open as well. "Who are you and what have you done with Fujikuro?"  
He grinned that annoying lopsided grin. Fujikuro was clean shaven and the spikes and green dye were gone from his hair. He tugged self-consciously at the jacket of his tuxedo. "Hope you don't mind. It's been a while since I wore this, so it's a little snug."  
Iria gaped for a moment longer. "Um….er…..Looks fine to me…." *Whoa,* she thought to herself. *That can not be…..IS not Fujikuro. I don't know who or what is it, but it's not him. He's too…..too….UN-Fujikuro. He's….He's….Is is hot in here?!? Damn dress….It's makin' me fry …*  
Kei looked from one to the other, back again, and snickered behind her hand. "I'm getting a camera. Don't you move!"  
"Kei!", they shouted at her retreating form, but to no avail. They sighed.   
To break the silence, Fujikuro said, "Um…You look really beautiful in that dress, Iria."  
She smiled and kicked her feet so the crimson skirt flashed. "Oh, really? And why, may I ask, do I look beautiful?" *I have to know,* she thought. *I have to know if he said that to be nice or because he meant it.*  
Fujikuro studied her for a moment longer. "It brings out your eyes. It makes them stand out, so that when someone looks at you, all they see are your eyes. Beautiful…deep….Drawing you deeper and deeper until….that's all that exists…..Those eyes…." He shook his head, snapping himself out of his self-imposed trance. "Like I said, it brings out your eyes."  
Before Iria could demand further explanation, Kei came back down the hall with no camera and a bewildered look on her face.  
"Where's the camera?", Iria asked.   
Kei scratched her head in confusion. "I went to get the camera….And I know I always leave it on the nightstand…"  
"The camera?", Fujikuro asked.   
Kei shook her head. "No, the knife. The knife the woman gave me. It's gone."  
Iria and Fujikuro looked at each other, knowing.  
  
******  
Guess who's ba-ack...Hehe, knew I couldn't stay away for long, didn't ya? Those of you wondering, this will be considerably longer than the first story. I'm almost done with chapter 12 and the story isn't even beginning to wrap up. Keep your eyes peeled for chapter 2, coming soon. Ja, everybody!  
*Kat-chan out* ^_^ \/ 


	2. Punch

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 2: Punch  
  
Iria looked uncertainly around the huge room. "I still don't understand how we got invited here," she muttered. "This place is so stuffed with snobs, it's making me gag."  
Fujikuro nodded sympathetically. "I hear ya. Another two minutes of this and I'm gonna end up spiking the punch to make things interesting."  
The slow waltz music that had been playing sped up and Iria turned to Fujikuro. "You know…this is a ball. People have a tendency to dance at things like this."  
Fujikuro mumbled nervously while Iria took him by the arm and dragged him out to the dance floor.  
  
"Okay, this isn't as bad as I thought," Fujikuro muttered grudgingly.   
Iria raised an eyebrow. "As bad as you thought? I'm the one who was worried I'd end up with flattened toes!"  
He smirked. "And I thought I'd end up with those killer heels of yours through my shoes!"  
They laughed, a tiny part of their minds aware of how much they were enjoying this.  
"Smile, please!", chimed a voice, and a light flashed very close by.   
While the pair was blinking away the light spots, a familiar voice said, "A copy of the picture will be sent to your residence, but I'll keep the negatives, thank you."  
"Shiv?", Fujikuro whispered, rubbing at his eyes.   
The blurry figure smiled. "Of course. You know, you two make a cute couple. Having fun on your date?"  
"This is not a date!", the two protested as loud as they dared.  
Shiv shrugged. "Whatever you say, Fuji. By the way, I think that spike the punchbowl idea has merit. As I'm sure you may have guessed, I rigged the guest list. Or rather, Daine did. I figured I'd stayed out of sight long enough. And this was the perfect excuse to set you two up on a date."   
Before they could protest, she continued. "Listen, Fuji, before you commence with the drugging, could you pull off a gentlemanly act of getting two ladies some punch….."  
Her voice faded as she looked over at the refreshment table, face blanching. "No…no….Can't be….Not him…."  
Iria looked concerned. "Shiv, are you feeling okay?"  
Almost imperceptibly, the woman shook her head. Taking her by the arms, Iria and Fujikuro lead her outside. Seating her on a bench, Iria asked, "Shiv, what's the matter? Are you sick? Do you want to go home?"  
Shiv shook her head frantically. "No…no, I'll….be okay…It's just…I swear I saw him…God…but it couldn't have been…."  
"Who?", Fujikuro demanded. "Who was it, Shiv?"  
She looked up at him, green eyes pale. "It was Jiko. I swear to God it was Jiko."  
Now it was Fujikuro's turn to shake his head. "Can't be. He's dead, Shiv. You gotta be sick or something."  
Shiv bit her lower lip. "I know….I know….But still….It looked so much like him…." She looked up quickly and locked eyes with him. "Just go, then. Go and see for yourself. He was standing over by the punch bowl. Go and see and tell me that is not Jiko."  
Fujikuro looked to Iria and she nodded. "I'll stay with her," she said. "You go and look."   
Fujikuro nodded and headed back inside.   
  
Edging cautiously through the maze of bodies, Fujikuro headed back to the edge of the dance floor, skirting it to reach the refreshment table. He swept his eyes back and forth, looking for a familiar face. He was about to turn around and leave when he spotted something. It was…No, no it wasn't, but the resemblance was uncanny. The hair was dark brown like Jiko's, but the eyes were more blue than gray-green. In fact, he seemed to be even about the right age. A cold chill ran down Fujikuro's spine.  
As he watched, the young man looked up and, just visibly, nodded. It was as though he knew, as though he knew everything. Fujikuro made ready to force his way over to him. Before he could, several couples headed out to the dance floor, blocking the young man from view. By the time they cleared, he had vanished.  
  
"Did you see him?", Shiv asked. "Did you?"  
Fujikuro nodded. "I saw him, all right. He does look like Jiko, but it's not him. The eyes are wrong and there's something about him I can't put my finger on…..and I don't like it."  
Shiv looked at the ground. "I knew it couldn't be him….but I wanted it to. Did you…Did you talk to him?"  
Fujikuro shook his head. "Not for lack of trying. When I tried to get over there, a crowd got in my way, and by the time they moved, he was gone."  
Shiv sighed. "I guess it was too much to hope for. I…I think I'll head back. You two can stay. Don't let me spoil your date."  
The pair drew a breath to argue, but thought better of it.   
"If that's what you want, I guess we can't stop you," Iria admitted. "Just be careful, okay?"  
Shiv's face brightened for a moment and she grinned. "Of course, but come on. This is me your talking to."  
"Exactly," Iria and Fujikuro replied.   
Shiv laughed. "I don't care what either of you say. You two are adorable together."  
Iria and Fujikuro looked at each other; fear, shock, and disbelief only some of the emotions that flashed across their faces.   
Shiv opened her mouth to speak, when something struck the ground by her emerald green hem. She yelped and screamed, "Run! Get out of here NOW!!"  
Leaping from the bench, she scrambled away, remarkably quickly in such high heels. Iria and Fujikuro didn't argue; they just ran behind in her wake. The sound of an explosion only added to their speed.   
"This way!", Shiv yelled, motioning with her arm for them to follow.   
They sped around the corner to where Ship waited. Shiv pushed her glove down and shouted into her wristband. "Daine, it's Shiv! Emergency, code red! Lower shields!"  
Without the usual chipper voice preceding, the shields disappeared and the trio dove inside. The shields snapped back into existence and Shiv began digging around in the back storage compartment.   
"I know I put it back here….Where the hell….Aha! There you are, you tricky bastard, you!"  
With a flourish, she shook out her grayish coat. Draping it loosely around her shoulders, she rummaged some more until she pulled out a duffel bag, from which she removed her tank top, shorts, thigh belt, and bandoleer. "Give me a sec, you two," she called over her shoulder and dove into the small cubby hole, drawing a panel shut behind her.   
A few minutes later, she scrambled out, fully clothed and looking ready for war.  
Iria and Fujikuro's eyes went wide. "Are you sure that's not a little extreme?", Iria said, surprised at how squeaky her voice sounded.   
Shiv shook her head and tossed them both duffel bags. "Somebody's gunning for us. If you wanna know the truth, I think Remington finally decided to fulfill his contract."  
The pair opened the duffels, gaping in shock at was lay inside. In Iria's, there was her jumpsuit and white body armor. In Fujikuro's, there was his usual hunting clothes as well.  
"Where'd you get this!?!", they shouted.  
Shiv grinned. "Okay, so my stiletto wasn't the only thing I took from your house….I figured you'd be too busy getting ready for your date to notice. Iria! Catch!" And she tossed her her blaster rifle.  
Iria gaped again. "Why the….What are you doing with my rifle?!?"  
Shiv tried, and failed, to look innocent. "So….I was thinking…What if we get jumped? And then….I mean we need enough weapons to go around….By the way, Fuji, your stuff's in the bottom of your bag…..Anyway, I took the rifle, okay? Aren't you glad I did?"  
Iria sighed. "Okay, I'm glad. Just don't make this a habit."  
Shiv raised a hand solemnly. "Please, you can trust me." No one noticed her crossed fingers behind her back. "We'd better get moving," she continued, brusquely. "I wanna get rid of Remington as fast as possible, and out of here even faster. If we're ever gonna finish this, we're gonna finish it tonight."  
  
*******  
Yup, I'm at it again. You guys having fun yet? This story has been fun to write and I intend to keep going on it for quite a while. Keep looking for part three!  
Ja! ^_^ \/  
PS: Yeah, Daine did come from a book, Xelena...Hehe...Guess you know which one...Also, as for the chapter deal, I've been writing my Iria stories long before I started publishing them. That's how I've made it up to chapter thirteen now (!) and only have the first two up. More soon! 


	3. Cover Fire

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 3: Cover Fire  
  
The trio stood in the alley, watching Ship speed off into the dark.  
"Are you sure sending her off was a good idea?", Fujikuro asked.  
"Mhm," Shiv replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Maybe, for a minute, they'll think we've left. And we only need a minute to do what we have to do and get out." She turned to go, then paused. "You two coming or not?"  
Iria nodded. "We're coming."  
They headed down the alley.  
  
"Well, here we are, but where are they?", Shiv mused, looking around the corner. "I don't like this."  
"What's not to like if we aren't getting shot at?", Fujikuro demanded.   
Shiv glared at him. "Plenty. If we aren't getting shot at, they could be right behind us, right in front of us or….RIGHT ABOVE US!!!"  
She ran out of the alley and turned sharply right, Iria and Fujikuro close behind, as blaster fire tore up the concrete where they'd stood. They kept running until they reached a loading station. Crouching down behind a wall of crates and other shipping containers, they prepared to return fire.   
Suddenly, Iria frowned. "This may sound like a stupid time to think of it, but I'm starving. I was planning on eating something at the ball, but as that idea went out the window…." She sighed.   
Shiv smiled. "No need to starve, kid." Reaching into her coat, she pulled out several packets of emergency rations.  
Iria let out a cry of delight and snatched two, tearing them open with her teeth. Shiv opened her two and offered the last one to Fujikuro. "Want one, Fuji? I've got more. They're not half bad if you shoot 'em before you eat 'em."  
Iria raised an eyebrow. "Really?"  
Shiv nodded. "When your starving and desperate, you come up with stuff like this. Watch and learn." Peeling the last of the wrapper off, she tossed the ration into the air, fired one shot, and caught the still smoking ration with her left hand. She ripped a bite off and swallowed quickly. "You gotta watch the levels, though. Otherwise you end up with a briquette."  
Iria's mouth quirked in a grin. "I'll be damned. Let me try."   
After taking a tentative bite, she swallowed hungrily and took another. "This is really good stuff! Makes 'em taste a hell of a lot better, anyway."  
Shiv turned again to Fujikuro. "You sure you don't want any, Fuji?"  
Fujikuro made a face. "You two are nuts for eating that stuff."  
"We eat what we eat!", the pair shouted back.   
"Start shooting!", Shiv yelped, as the first wave of fire came from somewhere in the dark.   
  
"This really sucks," Shiv mutter, shoving a new cartridge into her blaster pistol. "We can't stay like this forever. That's it. I'm callin' Ship." Pushing up her sleeve, she tapped several buttons on the wristband and prepared to give instructions to Daine, when the loud crackle of static came from the tiny speaker.   
She swore, slapped the wristband, tried again, and swore again. "They're using a jammer. Lousy bastards. I can't send a signal to Ship from here. The only way I can get her to come is if I sneak out of the covered zone, but then you're short one shooter. And you two can't hold them off alone."  
She sighed, then stiffened. "You," she growled. "You, out there. I know you're there. Come over her where I can see you or I'll fill you with so many holes, I'll be able to see through you."  
There was a wry chuckle from the shadows just beyond their barricade. "You don't miss much, do you? Don't mind if I crouch, I hope. I have no desire to be filled with holes by them or you."  
Someone crawled forward out of the darkness. Shiv readied her blaster, then gasped. "You….."  
The stranger grinned. "Yes, me. Although I usually go by Akira."  
It was the young man from the ball.  
"What are you doing here?", she demanded, not lowering her blaster one iota.  
"Seems while your friends were shooting at you, they blew up my ship in the process." Akira shrugged. "Didn't like the thing all that much, but I didn't wanna see it go like that. Figure I might as well help you out and pay the bastards back for my ship. You don't mind an extra blaster, do you?"  
She smiled. "Not really. Just so long as it ain't pointed at me."  
He smiled back. "I think I can handle that."  
Shiv turned to Iria and Fujikuro. "You two keep an eye on him. I think he's okay, but you never know. Hang onto this for me." She pressed a small disk with a blinking red light into Iria's palm.  
"What's this?", she asked, turning it over and over.   
"Tracer," Shiv explained. "That way, I can send the creeper to you and you can get your asses out of here. You three hold down the fort. I'll be back soon. I promise."  
  
"You think she's okay?", Akira shouted, tossing a grenade as far as he could in the direction of the shooters.   
Fujikuro looked over at the young man. "Why wouldn't she be?"  
Akira shrugged. "I don't know, just asking. All I'm gonna say is I thought she'd be back by now."   
Iria frowned and leveled her rifle. "I'm worried, too. Someone should go and see if they can find her. But….then I don't know if we can hold them off…" Her frown deepened and she continued to fire.  
Akira sighed. "I don't know what they're thinking………This isn't right…..isn't what we agreed…"  
"What did you say?", Fujikuro asked, glancing over sharply.   
"Nothing….I'll go. If I don't find her in five minutes, I'll come back. I promise."  
Iria moaned. "If you ask me, there are way too many people making promises tonight."  
  
Akira raced down the length of the loading dock. "She's gotta be here somewhere…." Suddenly, his feet slid in something slippery and he dropped to the ground. Taking the hand he'd used to steady himself from the ground, he could tell in the dim light it was covered with blood. Leaping to his feet, he followed the trail.  
A minute or so later, he knelt down beside a shadowy form in the darkness. "Fancy meeting you here," she chuckled, firing a few shots into the dark.  
"Would you mind telling be whose blood I've been following?", he demanded, panting for breath.  
She turned slightly to face him, the collar of her coat flapping open just enough that he could see the dark stain on her upper chest.  
"You should be dead," he whispered.   
"Got that right. Only I'm so doped up on painkiller patches, I don't know if I'm hittin' a shooter or a street light." She smiled, but he knew it was forced.  
"You're coming with me," he said, and moved to wrap his arms around her, but she stopped him.  
"No," she protested. "You shoot. I've gotta call Ship now, or I can't call her at all!" Her gaze pleaded with him. "Please," she whispered. "It's our only way out of here."  
He didn't say anything, just took up a place at the crate behind which they hid and began firing. She smiled, though he didn't see it.  
"Daine!", she yelled into the wristband. "Emergency, code red! Send Ship and creeper to tracer location. Usual cover fire pattern, just make it snappy. Oh! Call Bob. Tell him….." She paused and winced. "Tell him to get the med equipment ready. We're gonna need it….."  
She moaned and curled tightly around herself. Akira stopped firing and wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him and smiled. "You're not him…but I'm glad you came…." With a final moan, she passed out.  
  
Iria reached for another grenade. "They should be back. Something's wrong."  
Fujikuro continued firing. "They'll be back," he said. Iria studied him in the half-light, noting the thin lines that marred his face. Worry lines. She turned and looked off into the darkness, the direction Shiv had gone; the direction Akira had gone. How many more people would go into the darkness this night?  
Movement caught her eye and she squinted. It…it was Akira. And he was carrying something…  
  
*******  
Everyone, I am soooooooooooooooooooo sorry!! My laptop has been on the fritz and I've been in a creativity slump, not to mention my new semester's worth of classes. Save me from the evils of trig!!!! And so, in order to attain for my sin of not updating, I'm posting THREE CHAPTERS AT ONCE!!! Cross your fingers people, I may have time to put up even more tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who's been following this story; I thrive on support.   
Keep reading!  
(PS: Next chapter, one of my best bud Mara-chan's fav scenes in the story so far!!)  
~Kat-chan~ 


	4. Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 4: Confessions  
  
"Oh my God!"  
"Is she…is she….."  
"No! She can't be…."  
"Lay her down…gently…"  
"What happened?", Fujikuro demanded, fixing Akira with a steely gaze.  
"She got shot. I found her like this, only she was conscious. She called somebody named Daine to send Ship and creeper to you, then passed out." Akira sighed. "This isn't right….What were they thinking…."  
Suddenly, there was shouting and the sound of two engines revved to the maximum. Ship and the creeper came soaring over the barricade and landed neatly beside the small group. The shields lowered on both vehicles, and Akira picked Shiv back up.   
"I'll ride in Ship with her," he said. "You two take the creeper." The others nodded.  
After lowering Shiv gently into the passenger seat, Akira leapt into the driver's side. The shields popped up after him. Slowly, Shiv stirred. "Daine….," she whispered, voice hoarse. "Iria's….hurry….."  
The vehicle needed no further urging. Ship sped off into the dark, the creeper racing behind. Akira smiled, certain of the shouting that had accompanied the other ship's sudden start. Shiv turned her head slightly to face him. "What's your story?", she demanded, coughing.  
"Shhhh," Akira whispered. "You should rest."  
"Resting…be….damned," she forced out. "Something's up with you……I know…I…just…..know…" She coughed again, doubling over with the spasms. Akira, at first tentatively, then more certainly, reached over and laid a hand on her shoulder. She said nothing, just looked as far back over her shoulder as she could and smiled.   
  
The door opened and Akira walked inside, cradling a half-conscious Shiv close to him.   
"SHIV?!?", Bob yelled. "Oh my God! And who the hell are you?!?"  
"Calm down," Iria soothed. "It's okay. He's a friend."  
"Easy…Bob…Don't…blow a…motherboard…," Shiv chuckled softly.  
"Bob? What's up?", Kei hollered, walking down the hall. Reaching the living room, she gasped. "Who's the guy? And that's…..That's the…"  
"If the next two words out of your mouth are 'bloody lady', I'm gonna be forced to beat the shit out of you," Shiv growled.   
Kei swallowed nervously and kept her mouth shut.   
"Where should I take her?", Akira asked softly, looking as though he'd like to blend into the wall. He glanced down at Shiv tenderly.   
"My room," Fujikuro said, not entirely missing the glance.  
  
Akira tightened the blood pressure cuff on Shiv's right arm. He read the gauge carefully, then took it off and turned to Iria and Fujikuro. "She'll be okay," he said, visibly relaxing. "She needs to rest, but she'll be okay."  
He turned back to Shiv, paused, then bent and kissed her forehead. As he did so, something fell out of his shirt. When he stood up, the other two in the room could see what it was. A hunter's pendant hung around his neck.   
"I get it now," Fujikuro hissed, though tight teeth. "You're working for Remington. You came to kill her…and us." He pulled a blaster from a holster and aimed it at Akira's head. Suddenly, they heard a soft click from behind the other hunter.   
"Fuji, Fuji, Fuji. You really have to learn to control your temper."  
Fujikuro looked over Akira's shoulder at the barrel of the blaster aimed between his eyes. "Shiv?", he forced out.  
She lay on the bed, propped up on one elbow, blaster in hand. "I always keep a blaster handy. Surely you know that by now, Fuji."  
Fujikuro's grip on his blaster tightened.   
"Don't even think about it," Shiv snarled. "You know I'm a better close-range shot that you are. I could have you down and out before you know it. I might not kill you, but I can come damn close. Would you let the boy at least explain himself? If we have to, you can kill him later. But not now, Fujikuro. Not now."  
Akira looked back at her, smiled wanly, then turned back to Iria and Fujikuro. "I….I'm not working for Remington. But….I guess…you could say……He's working for me. Since no one on Myce would take Tedon Tippidai's contract, they called me in. I…I didn't really want to take it…but jobs haven't been comin' easy to me like they used to. I…I needed the money. I'm not proud of it, but I wasn't about to turn down a good job and starve. They….they figured that whoever wanted Iria alive would be there to see the offworld hunter come in. That's why they made such a big deal over Remington. We looked at who was there for Remington's arrival, looked at who they knew, who they'd talked to, who'd sent them money……it was easy from there…."  
He closed his eyes and turned his head to the floor. "Like I said, I'm not proud of it. I…When Iria's name came up on the guest list for the gala…..The plan was to get you all outside, scare you into running a good ways from the building, then I'd…..I'd….Damn it! I wish…..I wish I'd never taken the damn job! I'd rather starve or get kicked out of my house or…..or…..or anything but stoop that God damn low!!"   
His body quivered with rage long pent-up. Almost without meaning to, he dropped to the bed and sat there on the edge. Something glistened wet and innocent on his cheeks, and suddenly he seemed much younger. Shiv reached out to him and rested a hand on his arm. Something in her screamed out to the young man that saved her. *He isn't Jiko,* she thought, *and he never will be, but still….Something about him…*  
"It's never easy, is it?", she whispered. "Knowing that….that all your targets have names…..faces….friends….family…It's the hardest thing in the world. Why else do you think there's an 75% drop-out rate after the first year a hunter gets instated? They can't take it. They don't want to know these people. And the harder thing is sometimes you do know them."  
She forced herself to sit up, ignoring the wince that threatened to come to the surface. Putting her arm around his shoulders, she leaned him towards her, resting his head on her shoulder. Fujikuro stood there for a moment longer, then shoved the blaster back into its holster and stalked out. Iria started after him, paused for a moment in the doorway, then left, gently closing the door behind her.  
  
"You really should come back inside. It's too cold out here."  
"I've really got to find a better sulking place," Fujikuro snorted.  
Iria walked over to him and leaned on the railing. "True, but I don't now where that'd be. This place is only so big. Why did you leave? And don't you go telling me it was to give the happy couple sometime alone."  
Fujikuro sighed. "I don't like it when….people I know….that I care about…get hurt. It makes me see….It makes me realize….that none of us are immortal. Our time comes and then….I was so afraid for her. All I could see was her dying. I didn't want to think about it…but I did anyway. I…I kept thinking…if it hadn't been Shiv…how it would be if….if it had been Kei…or you."  
He turned to face her. "I've lost enough people that I care about, Iria. I don't want to lose any more. I don't want to lose you."  
"You will never lose me," she whispered, placing her hands firmly on his shoulders. "You will never, ever lose me."  
"You can't promise me that," Fujikuro said softly, as though unwilling to acknowledge the logic in his words.  
"Like hell I can't," Iria replied fiercely, and pressed her lips to his. They lingered there, and her hands drifted from his shoulders to wrap around his back. He held her close with one arm, and let the other arm's hand drift through her hair, entwining its fingers in fiery strands.  
After a moment, the pair relaxed and parted, staring intently into the other's eyes. "Did you mean to do that?", Fujikuro asked.  
"Did I?", Iria wondered breathlessly.  
"Was it a mistake?"  
"I don't think so."  
"Impulsive?"  
"Perhaps…"  
"Too soon?"  
"I guess that's it…"  
"Oh."  
"Yeah."  
"I suppose we'd better…"  
"Yeah, so they know you haven't jumped off the roof or anything…."  
"Yeah."  
"Yeah."  
"Ladies first."  
"Funny, I don't see any ladies."  
"Don't smart mouth me, chippy."  
"Since when am I a chippy?"  
"Since…."  
"Got you there, don't I?"  
"You are hopeless."  
"So I've been told."  
"Let's go."  
"Okay, but…"  
"What?"  
"Did you mean it?"  
"What I said?"  
"Yeah. Did you mean it?"  
"Every word."  
  
"Did you ever know anyone?", Akira whispered.   
"Hm?" Shiv looked to him questioningly.  
"Did you ever know anyone who was…your target?"  
Shiv looked away. "No, I never did. But a friend of mine did. He got assigned a contract to kill an escaped prisoner. He didn't know until after he'd carried it out that it was his brother. He didn't take it very well."  
"I'd imagine so." Akira leaned against her. "I hope you can forgive me."  
"Doing anything else never crossed my mind."  
"Thank you."  
"You don't have to thank me."  
"Shiv?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thank you again."  
  
*******  
LOL, Mara-chan. You finally get to see one of your fav parts posted. Happy now? (For those who don't know, Mara's got a thing for the Iria and Fujikuro roof scene. *grins*)  
Well, neve fear, faithfull readers, one more chapter up after this as of today, more tomorrow (I think). (PS: I get ta go do lazer tag tomorrow and we have to pick code names! Think I should be Shiv...??)  
Anyway, keep reading people and thanks for the feedback and support!  
~Kat-chan~ 


	5. Bountiful

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 5: Bountiful  
  
Sleeping arrangements were something to behold. Iria retained her bed, while Shiv slept in Fujikuro's. Fujikuro took the couch, and Akira could not be swayed from making a pallet on the floor by Fujikuro's bed. "It's where I need to be," he said, and no one could think of a reason to tell him otherwise.  
One morning, several hours before dawn, the warning alarms sounded. Iria and Fujikuro raced to the console. A few moments later, Akira came skidding in, minus his shirt. Iria raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Right behind him came Shiv, wearing the missing shirt. This time, Iria and Fujikuro both raised their eyebrows.   
"What?!?", she demanded. "My tank's bloodied to hell, all I really had for a shirt were Band-Aids, and if you think I'm running out her topless, you're nuts!"  
Fujikuro cocked his head to one side, as though pondering the idea. Shiv let out a playful cry and leapt forward to slap him, but was restrained by Akira.  
"Can we just get to why the damn alarms went off before she pummels me to death?!?", Akira yelped, dodging Shiv's flailing arms.  
Abruptly, she stopped struggling, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and replied, "Okay, Akira. Whatever makes you happy." She slipped free of his arms and began typing on the console, while Akira could only rub his cheek in confusion.  
Bob sighed. "You four are hopeless. Anyway, the reason I wanted you up is because there's a new contract out."  
Shiv looked up from the keyboard, irritation written plainly across her face. "You woke us up for a contract?!? Bob, run a diagnostic, 'cause, honey, you're damn nuts."  
Bob sighed again. "Thank you for the commentary, Shiv, but there's more to it than that. The contract is for Akira."  
He stiffened and Shiv's hackles raised. "What for?", she asked, voice icy.  
"Contract evasion. He signed up to see that Iria and whoever wanted her alive were eliminated. As you three are still alive……" Bob let his voice fade. "It's a dead or alive contract. Preferably dead. Tedon Tippidai means business."  
Shiv looked over to Akira. "If it's war they want, then, by God, they'll have it. I think I need to chat with Mr. Putubai again. He is a very reasonable man, after all, with a little persuasion."  
  
The others had gone back to bed, but Shiv and Akira remained, leaning against the other on the couch.   
"Do you really want to go to Tedon Tippidai? For me?", he asked.   
She paused a moment, then replied, "For you, yes. For Iria. For me. But mostly, for someone I loved very much…..that they took from me."  
"Who was he?", Akira wondered aloud.  
"How'd you know it was a he?"  
Akira shrugged. "Just a feeling.  
"He was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He knew everything about me, and I about him. If there's anything called soulmates, that's what we were. And then we took a contract for Tedon Tippidai……And everything changed. He died….but he didn't have to. Every morning when I wake up, I curse them for putting him in danger like that, and I do them same every night when I go to sleep. He was everything to me."   
She looked over at Akira, then laughed shortly. "Listen to me, blathering on like….like…God knows what. You must be bored to tears."  
"No, I'm not. I understand."  
"I'm not so sure you do, but thanks all the same. It means more than you can know."  
He wrapped his arms around her, as she did around him. They fell asleep in the other's arms and no one dared wake them when morning came.  
  
******  
Well, people, you know how I said I'd be posting only three chapters today? Well...I realized that chapter five is kinda short, so I'm posting chapter six too!! Consider it an early (or late) birthday present.   
PS: Next chapter, special appearance by a character who is actually one of the oringinal Iria characters and not one of mine!! Can you guess who it is???  
~Kat-chan~ 


	6. Mistress

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 6: Mistress   
  
The early morning light peeked through the windows, spotted the pair sleeping peacefully on the couch, and sped toward their eyes. It pounded furiously on tightly shut lids for a moment, then settled down and simply shone. After a minute or two, the sleeping pair was asleep no longer, but pleased themselves by pretending so.   
"Are you awake?", Akira whispered after a moment.  
"Are you?", Shiv whispered back, then giggled insanely. "Dumb question, neh? I guess the lack of sleep is getting to me."  
Akira smiled. "I'm sure it'll be getting to me before much longer. Think we should get up?"  
Shiv batted the idea aside with her hand. "Nyah. The Four Stooges will be in here before long, so we might as well enjoy some quiet time before - "   
"If I remember correctly, there are only three Stooges," Bob interjected.   
Shiv sighed. "Speak of the devil. Are the others up yet, Bob?"  
Bob's icon shook back and forth. "No, not yet."  
Shiv nodded and got up. "I might as well get ready, then." She slipped into Fujikuro's bedroom, not very surprised to see him sleeping in it. "Since I stole the couch, stands to reason he'd be here," she muttered. Gathering her clothes, she slipped off to the bathroom, paused in the doorway long enough to throw a sock on his head, and ran snickering out of the room.  
After showering, dressing, and making a quick phone call, she headed to the kitchen, only to find an omelet ready and waiting. Her eyes widened and her mouth watered. "Who…who made this?", she wondered.   
Akira stuck his head around the corner. "I did."  
"I didn't know you cooked," Shiv said, attacking the omelet.  
"You've only known me a few days," he chuckled, ruffling her hair. She made a feint at him with her fork and he laughed again. As he turned back to the stove, a drowsy Iria staggered in, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Noticing the omelet, she inhaled deeply with a dreamy look on her face.   
"Mmm…I'd pay good money for a breakfast like that," she mumbled.   
Akira stuck his head back around the corner. "How much?"  
Iria blinked dazedly. "You made that? Hm…how's about I pay on delivery?"  
Akira grinned. "Deal." He headed for the refrigerator for more eggs.  
Suddenly, a small blur sped into the kitchen, nearly knocking Akira over. Everyone turned to look, discovering it was Kei with one arm wrapped tightly around a cereal box and the other elbow deep in said cereal.   
"Um…do you want a bowl?", Shiv asked, stunned.   
Kei shook her head and shoved a fistful of sugary puffs into her mouth.   
Iria cringed. "How can you eat that stuff?"  
Kei grinned and licked something from her upper lip. "I eat what I eat." She shrugged, then froze, a second fistful of cereal half way to her mouth. "Um…"  
Everyone turned and gaped at what they saw. Fujikuro stood in the doorway to the kitchen with Shiv's sock still firmly seated on top of his spiked hair. "What?", he demanded.   
Akira stood frozen with three eggs in his hand, afraid to laugh for fear of dropping them. Iria began laughing hysterically; so hard, in fact, when she sat down, her jaws clacked together. Shiv snickered, laughed harder, then stopped because she began to choke on her omelet. Kei blinked for a moment or two, then burst out laughing and ended up dropping the cereal box, sending sugary puffs scattering across the floor.  
"What?!?", Fujikuro demanded a second time, quite frustrated by the whole goings on. Suppressing snickers, Iria managed to drag herself out of her chair and walked over to Fujikuro. Taking the sock from his head, she waved it under his nose and said, "I always thought these went on your feet. Or are we starting a new fashion trend, hm?"  
Fujikuro stared at the sock, at Iria, then Kei, Akira, and Shiv respectively. When his eyes fell on Shiv, she grinned and wiggled her fingers playfully. "By the way, Fuji," she smirked, "have you perchance seen my sock?"  
"OOOOOHHH! YOU! Why I oughtta - "  
"You oughtta what?"  
"I'm gonna get you!"  
"I'm waiting…" Shiv shrieked in delight and sped past him into the living room, Fujikuro hot on her heels. He had taken the sock from Iria and was waving it like some sort of bizarre banner; threatening to choke Shiv with it, shove it down her throat, or shove it some place else this author is currently not allowed to name, for fear of legal action.  
Just as it seemed one of the three threats would be carried out, the doorbell rang. Shiv skidded to a halt, grinned wickedly at Fujikuro, and opened the door. Her face broke out into a genuine smile and she chatted briefly with the person on the other side of the door. "Come in!", she said, opening the door slightly wider and allowing the visitor to enter. Into the room stepped a woman. She was several years older than Shiv, dressed in an light yet elaborate green kimono. Her dark brown hair was done up in a bun, with two jeweled hair sticks thrust through it. She smiled pleasantly at the group that had hurried in from the kitchen and adjusted her grip on the large bag at her side.   
Shiv smiled also. "Ladies and gentlemen," she began, "as I have no desire to repeat the previous Tedon Tippidai incident, I decided a plan was in order. My friend here is how we are getting in." She nodded at the woman. "It seems that Mr. Putubai, deceased or no, still has a habit of inviting courtesans to his office. They often come two, even three at a time." She pointed to the woman, herself, and Iria in turn. "It is not uncommon for said courtesans to have bodyguards." She nodded to Fujikuro and Akira. "In this way, we can waltz right up to the 94th floor and a certain Vice-Presidential-Bastard won't suspect a thing."  
Iria, Fujikuro, and Akira nodded, impressed. "I just have one question," Fujikuro said. "Who's you're friend?"  
Shiv grinned. "Oh, did I forget to mention her name? How stupid of me. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to Ranfan."  
Iria fainted.  
  
"Iria…Wake up, Iria!…Damn it, kid! Wake up!"  
"Ouch!", Iria shrieked, putting a hand to her stinging cheek. "Who did that?"  
Shiv looked sheepish. "Hey, it woke you up, didn't it?"  
Iria glared at her, then remembered something. She sat up and spun to face the new woman. "What did she say your name is?", she demanded.  
The woman smiled. "My name is Ranfan."  
Iria looked pale and Shiv grabbed her by her shoulders. "Oh no you don't!", Shiv shouted. "I don't want to have to give you CPR or some crap. You stay with me, kid, you hear?!"  
Iria nodded shakily. "I'm…I'm okay. It's just…Are you the same Ranfan I think you are?"  
Ranfan grinned. "If you're the same Iria I think you are."  
Iria plowed forward with a rush of questions. "You! And the pendant! How did you get that? Was the pendant yours the whole time? Why did you make the recordings? When? How?!"  
Ranfan laughed and held up her hands. "I surrender! Slow down, child. I can only take so many questions at once!"  
Iria ducked her head, a little embarrassed. "Sorry…it's just…I have to know."  
Ranfan nodded. "I understand. I can explain. Shiv had called me in to find out about the Zeiram project and- "  
"Shiv!", Iria shrieked.   
Shiv tried to sneak out of the room, then stopped and turned back around. "All right, so I've got some explaining to do. I knew Tedon Tippidai was up to some shit, so who better to get the info from than the Vice President himself. I knew about Putubai's little invites to courtesans so…" She drifted off and waved her hand idly.   
Ranfan grinned. "Anyway, Shiv called me in to find out about the Zeiram project and, with the aid of my pendant and large amounts of wine, I managed to get recordings of Putubai spilling all the details. Unfortunately, Putubai figured it out, stole my pendant, and I only got away by the skin of my teeth. I haven't been able to surface for a while until he trusted me a little again and I am now very ready to pay the bastard back."  
"Um…one question…," Iria asked. "Did you ever…actually…With him?"  
Ranfan threw back her head and laughed. "God, NO! Please, I doped up the S.O.B. on so much wine and sleeping pills that he didn't know what the hell happened! I told him how wonderful he was and he believed me! What a moron!"   
Iria grinned. "Always knew Putubai wasn't too heavy in the brain department. So what's this grand plan anyway?"  
Shiv made eye contact with Ranfan and the other woman nodded. Shiv picked up Ranfan's bag and opened it. "All right, here's the plan…"  
  
*******  
Haha! Betcha didn't see that one coming!! Remember the line? "Ah, so Ranfan is your wife then. Or perhaps Ranfan is your mistress!" LOL this was a fun chapter to write. Hope you like. I'll try and put up more chapters tomorrow. For now, thanks for reading, the feedback, and your support.   
PS: Paul, I updated now. Ya happy, spazwad? *grins*  
~Kat-chan~ 


	7. Infiltration

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 7: Infiltration  
  
The following morning, three courtesans entered the Tedon Tippidai lobby, two of whom the guards had never had the pleasure of hitting on. They were accompanied by two bodyguards, neither of whom the secretaries had had the pleasure of flirting with. The entourage had reached the center of the lobby when the head of security walked up to them, smiling pleasantly. "Ah, Ranfan-san," he beamed. "A pleasure, as always. The ninety-fourth floor, I presume?"  
Ranfan smiled back. "As always."  
The man looked with interest at her companions. "And who are these fine young ladies and their gentlemen friends, Miss Ranfan?"  
Ranfan unfolded the fan on a cord about her wrist and flicked it idly. "Oh, they are close friends of mine, whom I thought would like to…pay their respects to Mr. Putubai. The gentlemen are their bodyguards. You see, they had the misfortune of being victimized in the past and having no wish for it to happen again…" She let her voice trail off. "So, you see, the gentlemen must also accompany us to the ninety-fourth floor."  
The man nodded. "As you wish, Miss Ranfan. You know Mr. Putubai's instructions were to allow you free rein with who went with you there. It was his…last wish, you could say."  
Ranfan nodded. "Well…I do not suppose we should keep him waiting any longer. Good day to you, sir. Ladies?" She glided smoothly across the floor to lift number ten and pressed the call button. The doors opened and the group got in. Ranfan pressed the button for the ninety-fourth floor and the lift moved steadily upward.  
"Damn this thing!", Iria muttered, tugging at her kimono. "This thing is gorgeous, but does it have to be so tight?!" She tugged further at the crimson colored silk until Shiv reached over and smacked her hand.   
Iria looked peeved, but Shiv smiled. "Don't blame me. I'm just trying to keep you from ruining a decent outfit."   
Iria glared at the other huntress. Akira laughed. "Hey, she's doing you a favor. Who knows…you might have a need for something nice like that. You know…a dinner or something." And he looked meaningfully at Fujikuro. Fujikuro found something interesting on the wall to stare at.  
*Okay…don't look…don't look,* he thought. *If I look…I'll start staring…and I don't want to do that…Yes, I do! No, I don't! Damn!*  
Iria smoothed the material out and tucked her hands behind her back to avoid temptation. *Hm…Fujikuro seems awful nervous…and why do I get the feeling it's not 'cause of the mission…Now…what the hell did Akira mean by dinner? Did he mean…oh God…Fujikuro?! Hm…that'd be interesting…don't really suppose I'd mind…but still…No time to worry now; here's our floor.*  
The three "courtesans" and their "bodyguards" stepped out of the elevator and strolled calmly into the office. The man behind the desk rose, grinning at the sight of Ranfan's friends. "Ah, my very dear Ranfan," Putubai said, smiling. Shiv held up her fan to hide her scowl and fluttered her eyelashes. Iria fought back a snicker. *It's so ridiculous, it's funny,* she mused.  
"Now, Ranfan, who are your friends?", Putubai asked, oblivious to all of this.  
Ranfan smiled demurely. "Oh, Putubai. Don't get ahead of yourself. Are the cameras off yet?"  
Putubai nodded, almost over-enthusiastically. "Of course, my dear. I wouldn't want…any interruptions…"  
Ranfan had difficulty containing her energy. "Now, Putubai. You want to know my friends, don't you? I thought for certain you'd recognize them." She shot a quick glance at Shiv, who nodded. Akira slung the blaster rifle off his shoulder and tossed it to Shiv. Iria pulled a small pistol from the folds of her kimono. Fujikuro readied his rifle at his shoulder. Akira drew his own pistol from a holster at his hip. Ranfan tipped her wrists so that two lethal looking knives slid from her sleeves and into her hands. The whole process took about ten seconds.  
Putubai looked as though he was somewhere between screaming and hiding under his bed or wetting himself.   
Shiv smiled. She untied the sash around her waist, letting it fall to the floor. She shrugged off the kimono, carefully switching the rifle back and forth between hands. Then, everyone could see that she had worn her trademark coat and regular hunting clothes under the kimono. Putting one foot up on Putubai's desk, she leered over his seated form, bring the rifle barrel up under his chin.  
"So, Putubai," she murmured. "How's about you doing me and my friends a little favor, hm? Say…remove the bounties on Iria and Akira. And transfer half a million credits into the account number I'm about to give you. And be a good boy and die."  
Putubai gasped. "You…you wouldn't! You wouldn't dare! You'd never get out alive!"  
Shiv shrugged. "At this point, living means very little to me. I want them safe, my money, and your corpse. Other than that, I'll take things as they come. Now, my money." She removed the safety on the rifle. "I won't ask you again."  
Putubai swallowed hard and began typing on his computer. "By the way," Shiv added, raising the rifle barrel so it pushed the man's head back uncomfortably, "if you're thinking of notifying the security, DON'T. I still have time to pull the trigger, hack the system, and get out before your hired morons get through the door."  
Putubai tried to nod, but with the muzzle firmly wedged under his jaw, it was difficult. He continued to type, filled in the account number when Shiv ordered him to, and then removed the bounties on Iria and Akira. Shiv's mouth quirked at the corners. "Let's see, now," she mused. "That's two out of three. Only one thing left then."  
Putubai closed his eyes and swallowed again. "Just make it quick, miss. I suppose I'm ready to die."  
Shiv pulled the trigger.  
  
*******  
Haha!! Cliffhanger!! Suppose it's not the least evil thing I've done; considering this will be the first update in two months shy of a YEAR. *guilt pours off of her in waves* Between the Tori Amos and rereading all the reviews I felt guilty enough to post the other chapters I had waiting in the wings. Feel blessed.  
I'm giving you guys not just chapter 6, but chapters 7-12. Who's the goddess?  
Be warned, I've started chapter 13, but have no idea what the hell I'm going to do with it, or how I'll end the story, so be prepared for another chapter drought. See, I warned you.  
I'll try and finish chapter 13, or at least hash out the rest of the plot. Thanks for not killing me.   
Ja ne.  
~Kat~ 


	8. Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 8: Escape  
  
Nothing happened.  
"If you do die," Shiv commented, "you'll be the first to die from a blank cartridge."  
Putubai opened his eyes. "I…I'm not dead! I'm not dead!" His laughter became hysterical until Iria stepped forward and slapped him soundly. "I…thank you. I needed…Wait! You! I can't believe it!"  
"What? That I walked right in here without getting stopped?", Iria smirked.  
"No, I always thought you weren't pretty enough to be a courtesan. But I here some are taking the ugly ones these days."  
"Bastard," Ranfan said simply, and slapped his other cheek. However, as she still had the knife in her hand, it left an oozing red line in its wake. The courtesan smiled. "You never did know when to keep your mouth shut, Putubai. But then, you never knew much."  
Putubai whimpered, one hand to his bleeding cheek, and Ranfan smiled again. She turned to the others. "So, are we gonna head out now?"  
Shiv thought a moment, then nodded. "Now's good. Nighty-night, Mr. Vice President." With that, she hit Putubai soundly over the head with the butt of her rifle. Noting the looks she received, she said, "Don't worry. He's not dead. He's just gonna have one hell of a migraine, is all." She raised the rifle and shot out all the glass from the window behind the desk. "You coming or not?"   
Akira shrugged. "Never argue with a woman." He strode to the window, where he and Shiv fired cables up to the roof. The pair began to climb. After a few minutes, Ranfan followed up Shiv's cable. Alone in the office, save Putubai's unconscious self, Iria and Fujikuro looked at each other.   
"You know," Iria commented, "you could learn something from him."  
"Who? Putubai?"  
"No! Akira."  
"What does he know that I don't?"  
Iria grinned. "Something vital to the existence of the male of any species. Never argue with a woman."  
Fujikuro sighed defeatedly, Iria snickered, and the two began their ascent to the roof.  
  
Iria reached as Fujikuro gave her a hand up. She smiled, not really needing the help but pleased he'd thought of it. The five stood on the roof, waiting for something they weren't even sure of themselves. After a time, Shiv pressed a button on her wrist band, summoning Ship. The sleek craft landed beside them and they all piled in; Shiv in the driver's seat and Ranfan at her side, with Akira, Iria and Fujikuro behind them.  
The aircraft's shields came up without command and it flew straight for home. Shiv sighed and tucked her arms behind her head. "Well, I guess it's over. For now, anyway."  
"Yeah," Iria murmured, looking back at the Tedon Tippidai building that was rapidly fading from view. "For now."  
  
"Shiv…Shiv…Wakey-wakey, Shivie…"  
Any further comments from Fujikuro were cut off as the huntress drew the knife from her sleeve and pressed it to his throat. "Those who call me 'Shivie' meet bad ends, Fuji. You know that. Is there a particular reason why you risked death to wake me from my nap?" She had done all of this without opening her eyes.  
Fujikuro nodded, nervousness not entirely gone. Shiv tucked the knife back in her sleeve and sat up from the couch, yawning. "So, whaddaya need from me?"  
"Have you seen Iria? Ever since we got back, she just disappeared…"  
"Nope, haven't seen her," Shiv replied. "But you might try the usual place."  
"Huh?"  
"Don't be thick, Fuji. Where does anybody sulking go in this place?"  
The pair said it at the same time. "The roof."  
  
Fujikuro tip-toed delicately onto the roof. "Um…is this a private sulking, or can anybody join?"  
Iria looked back over her shoulder, wiped something from her eye, and smiled ironically. "Well…I was going to keep this a closed meeting of one…but for you…I suppose can make an exception."  
Fujikuro grinned and bowed jokingly. "Thank you for your kindness, fair maiden. I am truly honored to be in such a radiant presence as this."  
Iria cocked her head to the side, suddenly serious. "Do you…do you really think I'm pretty, Fujikuro?"  
Fujikuro looked startled. "What? Oh…you've been thinking about what Putubai said, haven't you?" Iria nodded sheepishly. "Don't you dare worry about that sick old man and what he thinks. He doesn't count for anything in this world, and you mark me if he doesn't get his. You are beautiful, Iria. You don't need make-up, or a fancy dress, or a fancy hair style. You're beautiful even when you have grease smears on your face from working on the creeper. Don't ever, ever let anyone tell you otherwise."  
Iria smiled. "You mean it?"  
"Of course I do."  
"That's really good to know."  
"Iria…"  
"Yes?"  
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you…." Fujikuro hesitated.   
"Yes…?"  
"Well, you see…"  
"Yes…?"  
"I need to tell you that…that I…" Suddenly, Fujikuro moved rapidly over to Iria, wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her, leaning her back. The kiss was long and tender; Iria found herself wrapping her arms around his neck. Slowly and delicately, with a touch of reluctance, Fujikuro pulled back and looked breathlessly down at Iria. She smiled up at him. "That. That's what I needed to tell you."  
She smiled again. "I have something to tell you, too," she whispered, and kissed him back. They had barely parted lips when there was a familiar flash. They turned, still in the leaned back position, to see Shiv standing there, waving.   
She held up her camera. "We are talking multiple prints, here."  
Fujikuro looked so shocked, for a moment, Iria feared he might accidentally drop her. "Um…," Iria murmured nervously. "Could you pick me up, please?"  
Fujikuro shook his head to clear it. "Oh…yeah, sure. Sorry…"  
She smiled. "It's okay." She turned to Shiv. "You happy now?"  
The huntress grinned. "You bet, kid."  
Then, Iria thought of something. "Where's Ranfan?"  
"She headed back to her apartment. You mind if she comes over tonight for a celebratory dinner?"  
"Sounds great to me. As long as I don't have to cook too much. My skills aren't the greatest. Speaking of which…where's Akira, anyway?"  
Shiv stiffened. "I…I don't know. Don't ask me. I'm not his keeper." The cheerful mood gone, Shiv spun away and left the roof, a soft, "I'm sorry" in her wake.  
Iria looked at Fujikuro. "What was that all about?"  
He shrugged. "I have no idea."  
  
********  
The update binge continues. Enjoy and prepare for MAJOR bombshells next chapter.  
But don't panic; they're good bombshells. When they explode there's...confetti...yeah, confetti and...um...ice cream. (Everyone who's read my newest away message, you have my permission to start screaming.)  
Ja ne.  
~Kat~ 


	9. Proposals

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story and Shiv. She's mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence, and sexual implications  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 9: Proposals  
  
Shiv sat in the bar, toying with shot glass in front of her. She licked a smear of liquor off her lip and pulled several bills from her pocket. As soon as they hit the counter, the bartender scuttled up, all greasy hair and greasy smile. "Get me another," she mumbled. "And make it a double." The bartender nodded and scuttled away. Moments later, he set the refilled shot glass before her. He hovered for a moment, in case she wanted anything else, then hurried to the other end of the bar. Apparently, there was an argument ensuing over a bar wench. Two men pushed each other back and forth for several minutes, the wench seemingly unconcerned. After a few moments more, the wench drew a stun pistol and shocked them both. Sighing, she shouted to the bartender, "Get Kurin to drag these bums to the street! They're impeding progress!" With that, she bent over and removed the wallets from the men, counting the cash inside. She removed the cash, dropped the wallets on the unconscious pair, and tucked the bills in the front of her low-cut dress. Presumably very pleased with herself, she headed off into a back room.   
Shiv smirked and returned to her liquor. Suddenly, she had the feeling there was someone behind her. Reaching one hand into her coat, she only relaxed when she felt familiar hands on her shoulders. "Where the hell have you been?", she muttered, not yet withdrawing her hand.   
"I…I'm sorry…," Akira apologized softly. "I…I had something I had to do…I didn't mean…to just disappear after we got back…I didn't know it would upset you so much." Tentatively, he sat beside her at the bar.   
"Well, it did upset me, thank you very much," she snapped. "All of a sudden you weren't there. I didn't know if you had been captured or killed or if you'd left 'cause…of something important…or something I'd done…I went out of my mind…" She laid her head down on the bar and began to cry softly. "I…I don't know if I'm ready for this, Akira…Jiko…he's only been dead a few months…I don't think…I can really love somebody right now…but I do care about you…so much…You saved my life, Akira…How can I not care for you?…but…I guess…we need some distance…for a little while, anyway…"  
Akira nodded, a twinge of sadness in his eyes. "That's okay. I understand. But…when you're ready…just think about this okay? And give me a call." He set something down on the bar by Shiv's head and walked to the exit. Shiv sniffed and raised her head. It was a small, velvet box…No…it couldn't be…He didn't…  
With shaking fingers, she raised the lid. Inside, lay a diamond engagement ring with a white gold band. "Oh, God," she whispered. "That's where he was. Oh, God." Leaping from the barstool and clutching the box tightly, she ran from the bar screaming, "AKIRA!!"   
She could see him in the distance; he had left the bar walking fast. She screamed his name again and he stopped and turned around. "Akira," she panted, the tears glistening in her eyes. Carefully, she pressed the box into his hands. "If you're gonna ask me to marry you, then have the decency to get down on one knee and really ask me, dammit."  
He smiled and did as she asked, kneeling before her. "Shiv…I loved you since the minute I saw you. I knew I couldn't kill you, couldn't see you die. I knew that I wanted to know you forever. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I know…that I can't be to you…what Jiko was…but I'd like the chance to come as close as possible. Will you do me the supreme honor of marrying me?" By the time he had finished, there were tears in his eyes, too.  
Shiv smiled and wiped tears from her eyes with her right hand; her left she held out to Akira. "Of course I will, Akira. Of course I will." He slid the ring on her finger, then leapt up and kissed her, holding her tightly.  
Slowly, she pulled back and smiled at him. "This is beautiful," she whispered. "Do we have to move and ruin it?"  
"It won't be ruining it," Akira corrected. "It'll just be…keeping it going…that's all."  
"So…should we head back and tell them, now? Oh, yeah! I…well…I kinda promised we'd do a victory dinner, so…your skills are required…Hope you don't mind."  
Akira's grin turned lopsided. "Mind? Please, I revel in the chance to show-off my culinary skills. Ready?"  
"Always."  
  
Fujikuro and Iria sat on the couch, worried about the disappearance of their friends. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and the pair leapt from their seats. The door slid aside, to reveal Akira and Shiv with their arms around each other. Their smiles were wide and both pairs of eyes showed signs of tears.   
"What?", Iria asked. "What's wrong?"  
Shiv turned her head slightly, so that her eyes met Akira's. "Nothing's wrong, for once. Um…you guys…we've got something to tell you…"  
Iria and Fujikuro looked at each other. "And this would be…," Fujikuro prompted.   
Shiv held up her left hand and grinned. "This," she said.   
Iria and Fujikuro's jaws dropped. "You mean…," Iria stuttered. "You…and Akira…are…going to…"  
Shiv nodded. "Yup. Say it with me now: 'get married'!"   
Fujikuro looked like he was going to faint. Iria picked up a pillow off the couch and started fanning him with it. Shiv laughed. "What's the matter, Fuji? You upset it wasn't you?"  
"No, just never thought I'd see you married, that's all."  
"Never thought I'd settle down?", Shiv teased.  
Fujikuro snorted. "Uh-uh. Even married, you wouldn't settle down. I meant I never thought you'd meet a guy who could stand you!"  
Shiv chuckled. "That's cruel, Fuji. You used to stand me."  
"Used to, Shiv. Used to. Past tense."  
She chuckled again. "You know?", she ventured. "I think you are upset it wasn't you."  
Fujikuro turned bright pink. Shiv walked over to him, took the pillow from Iria, and smacked him soundly upside the head with it. He blinked dazedly and flopped onto the couch like a ton of bricks.   
Shiv put her hands on her hips and grinned down at him. "You didn't think you were going to get away with that, did you? Well, maybe you did, but now you know otherwise."  
Fujikuro rubbed his throbbing head. "I get it, already. I get it. Just don't hit me with the pillow again. Anybody got any aspirin?"  
Akira called, "I do." He strode smoothly over to Fujikuro and pressed something into his hand. "Well, it's not quite aspirin," Akira admitted, "but I think someone around here will like it, just the same." Almost imperceptibly, he jerked his head in Iria's direction. Fujikuro's eyes widened as he let his closed fingers trace the pattern of a small velvet box in his hand.  
"Is this…," Fujikuro whispered.  
Akira nodded. "While I was out this morning, I figured there was somebody else who could use one, too. Don't worry. You can pay me back later."  
Fujikuro nodded slowly, still amazed at what he was holding. "You knew…you want me to give it to…"  
Akira shook his head. "I just got it for you. You give it to who I know you want to give it to. And it's not gonna get much better than right now."  
Fujikuro nodded again, his mouth gone rapidly dry. "Fujikuro?", Iria asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "You okay? What's the big deal about these magic aspirin or whatever, anyway?"  
Fujikuro got off the couch and on to one knee. Shiv raised her eyebrows and looked meaningfully at Akira; her emerald message flashing, *Did you have anything to do with this and is it what I think it is?*  
Akira just nodded. Shiv's face broke out into a huge smile and she leapt forward, hugging Akira tightly. "Did I tell you how wonderful you are today?", she whispered in his ear.  
He thought a moment. "Not in the past hour…"  
"You're wonderful," she murmured, and kissed him.  
"What's up with them?", Iria wondered out loud, then realized just who was on one knee in front of her. "Fujikuro…? What are you…"  
"Just…please…let me talk for a minute, okay?", he began, tentatively. "Iria…for a very long time now…I've…I've been in love with you…and…I would give anything to wake up every morning and see you for hours and hours…then go to sleep and see you in my dreams…You are the only woman I've ever loved heart and soul…" He paused for a moment, looked to Shiv for jokes or protests, and found she and Akira were still kissing. He sighed and turned back to Iria. "What…what I'm trying to say is…will you, Iria, make me eternally happy…and marry me?" He opened the velvet box and held out the ring to her.   
Iria gasped, completely in shock from the last few minutes. Shiv and Akira getting married and now…possibly…her and Fujikuro? Was it too strange? No…not too long ago…on the roof… that had meant something…and it always would…To have that forever…Oh, God… "Yes, Fujikuro," she whispered. "Yes, Fujikuro, I will marry you."  
He smiled, a beautiful and genuine smile. With trembling hand, he removed the ring from the box and slid it onto Iria's finger. She smiled back, the tears of joy hovering on the edge of falling. Knowing it was the only thing to do at a time like this, she leaned forward and kissed him. It was deep and wonderful, mind-blowingly tender and sincere. Delicately, their lips parted and the newly engaged couple stood, to the loud clapping of the other engaged couple in the room.   
At this point, Bob flicked on. "What?", he mumbled. "What's going on?"  
In perfect unison, four people yelled, "WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!"  
There was a long pause. "Bob?", Iria asked, waving a hand in front of his lens. "You okay, Bob?"  
Shiv grinned. "I think he's fainted. That is…if computer entities can faint."  
"Bob?", Iria tried again, starting to look worried.  
Shiv's face brightened. "You know…I just had an idea." Pressing the button on her wristband, she ordered, "Daine? It's Shiv. Listen up. I want you to set up an interface with Bob, then execute Program SLAP."  
"Orders acknowledged," Daine chirped. A few moments later, there was a loud "SMACK!" sound and Bob hollered, "OUCH!"  
"Yes!", Shiv cheered, jumping up and down in joy. "It worked!"  
Fujikuro tapped Shiv on her bouncing shoulder. "Um…what exactly is Program SLAP?"  
Shiv's grin was wicked. "Slap Loud And Painfully. It's supposed to be an emergency restart program. Say…you've hacked a system, only it freezes. You don't want to have to shut the whole thing down, so you enable SLAP. It jolts the system back into action without having to go through the whole long damn process. I always wondered what it would do to a computer entity…." She chuckled.  
"Well, now you know," Bob grumbled. "Are you happy now?"  
Shiv nodded. "Yes, very!"  
Kei staggered out from her room, looking rather wild eyed. "Did I hear someone yell 'married'?"Yes," Iria said; she and Shiv held up their left hands.   
Kei looked from one huntress to the other. "Oh, crap."  
"What? Not happy for us?", Shiv teased.   
"Oh, no!", Kei exclaimed. "Delighted…only now…when you all go on honeymoon…I'm gonna have to stay with Grandpa…and he won't be very thrilled…" Kei was grinning like a demon. "I promise you, it'll be beautiful."  
Iria and Fujikuro looked at each other.  
"Think we should warn him?", she asked.  
"Nyah," she and Fujikuro said simultaneously.  
"Oh, crap!", Shiv exclaimed. "I completely forgot! Dinner! Ranfan will be here in a few hours, and we don't have anything done!"  
Akira pushed up his sleeves. "I work best under pressure. Come, my lovely assistant, to the kitchen!"  
"Right behind you, master!", Shiv giggled, and scrambled after him.   
  
"Um…Akira…Is it supposed to catch on fire like that?", Shiv asked, poking the flaming stir fry with her spatula.   
"Oh, shit!" Akira leaped across the small kitchen with the stir fry lid in hand, attempting to beat out the blazing entree. After a few minutes, the fire died down and Akira sighed with relief.   
"Oookay, now," he said softly. "Think we can salvage it?"  
Shiv wrinkled her nose and fanned wisps of smoke away from the stove. "Um…I don't think so…It's charred, 'Kira. Do we have enough for another batch?"  
He stuck his head the refrigerator. "I think so, but watch it this time. We can't screw it up again. Hold on a sec, I'm going to see if they've got a fire extinguisher."  
"Hey! Don't diss my cooking skills!", Shiv joked.   
"It's not your cooking skills I'm afraid of," Akira said. "I don't wanna burn my fingers again. See?" He held up his right hand, with which he'd held the pan lid, and put on an expression similar to that of a wounded puppy.   
Shiv laughed. "You are such a wuss," she teased. "What do you want, for me to kiss it and make it better?"  
Akira cocked his head to one side. "Hm…sounds good to me."   
Shiv laughed again. "Okay, okay, if it'll get us back to making dinner." Tenderly, she wrapped her hands around his wrist and brought his fingers to her lips. She kissed them delicately, one at a time. Gradually, her kisses moved up his arm and at last came to rest on his lips.   
"What about dinner?", he asked, in between kisses.  
"Dinner can wait," she replied quickly, then returned her attentions to keeping her lips on Akira's.  
Iria and Fujikuro stood outside the kitchen, calmly observing.  
Iria turned to look at Fujikuro. "Can we make dinner tomorrow night?"  
  
"This is wonderful!" Ranfan exclaimed, viewing the elaborate spread of food before her. "How did you put all this together so fast?"  
Akira and Shiv cut their eyes at each other. "Oh…it wasn't as hard as looks…" Shiv confessed, recalling the dozen take-out boxes stuffed in the trash. "You'd be amazed how quickly you can get it all done."  
Everyone tore in to the food ravenously, laughing and joking. They drank too much wine, fought over the last egg roll, and dared each other to eat more than sane levels of the spiciest sauces the could find.  
"This is the best!" Fujikuro crowed, refilling his wine glass. "Damn," he muttered, having missed his glass by several inches.  
Iria giggled. "You're aim never was all that good Fujikuro."  
"I propose a toast," Ranfan said, being the least plastered of the diners. She stood on feet more than a little wobbly. "To the happy couples."  
Everyone raised their glasses. "To the happy couples!"  
  
Shiv rolled off the couch. "Ow!" she yelped. She rubbed sleep from her eyes and raised her head from the floor. "I need a hangover pill," she muttered. Dragging herself from the floor, Shiv stumbled down the hall to the bathroom. Walking past her room, she did a double take. Ranfan was sprawled across the bed, kimono half undone and snoring softly. Shiv smiled and shook her head as she continued down the hall. Reaching Iria's room, she was in for another shock. Iria was curled tightly into a ball in the very center of the bed. Fujikuro was laying on the floor as though he'd tripped and immediately fallen asleep. His hair was even more wild than usual and there was a good chance he was drooling slightly.   
Shiv stood in the doorway, twitching slightly. Very slowly, she moved away from the bedroom and returned a few moments later with her camera. Carefully, she pressed the button and ran from the room almost before the flash had faded. The couple did not stir.  
Having popped a hangover pill and still giggling about her newest photo, Shiv set out to find Akira. She was pacing over the house for the third time, when she heard a strange sound coming from underneath the table. With one hand on her blaster, she knelt down and peered under the tablecloth. Her eyes grew suddenly wider. "…Akira?"  
The sleeping bounty hunter mumbled something and rolled over, hitting his forehead on a table leg. He twitched slightly, then dozed back off. Hesitantly, Shiv poked him in the shoulder. Akira yawned, stretched, rolled over, and hit his forehead on the opposite table leg. This time, his eyes opened and he looked straight at Shiv. "What are you doing under the table?" he asked.  
She smiled. "I was about to ask you the same question."  
Noticing his surroundings for the first time, Akira tried to stand up quickly and hit his head for a third time, this time on the underside of the table top. "Oooowww…" he moaned, clutching his head with both hands.   
Shiv sighed and shook her head. Tenderly, she caressed his cheek with the back of her hand, leaned forward, and let her lips rest lightly on his forehead. "Tell me, koibito," she whispered. "Is it wrong to love someone so much your soul hurts when they do?"  
Forgetting his aching head, Akira looked up into a pair of deep green eyes. "Never," he answered. "The wrong this is when you say you love them and it doesn't hurt."  
"Hai," Shiv murmured and prepared to kiss him, when a shrill scream broke the silence.  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! There is a drunk, drooling man asleep in MY BEDROOM!!!!"  
Shiv winced. "Amaterasu-sama save us, Iria's awake!" Quickly she scrambled out from under the table, Akira following on shaking legs.   
"Wait up!" he pleaded. "Some of us haven't had their H.O. pill this morning!"  
Shiv skidded to a halt in the doorway to Iria's bedroom. She sat on the bed with her knees to her chest and the blanket pulled up to her chin. Fujikuro, apparently unconcerned, remained asleep. Shiv sighed and leaned against the door frame. "Imoto-chan," she began with her eyes closed, "said drunk, drooling man is your fiancé, which you chose to forget. Secondly, if my past experience is anything to go on, you will find him in much worse conditions later on. And I don't just mean more plastered than he is now. If you can't deal with him hungover and asleep, how can you deal with him irate and bleeding? Third, you're not a vase of roses yourself."  
Iria cocked her head to the side. "You heard me," Shiv said, jerking her thumb in the direction of the bathroom. "Go take a look if you don't believe it." Iria crawled off the bed and shuffled across the hall.   
Shiv checked her watch. "Five…four…three…two…one."  
"Until what?" Akira asked. He was standing behind her, having listened to the dissertation Shiv gave Iria.  
A scream came from the bathroom.   
Shiv smiled. "That."   
"Oh, God!" Iria shrieked. "I…I…I look like shit!" She peered into the mirror at her red-rimmed eyes. "Awe, man, do I look bad!"  
"Is that a rhetorical question?" asked Ranfan with a yawn, as she joined the couple in the hallway.  
Shiv raised an eyebrow. "You're finally up. Considering you had the least to drink, I was surprised I was awake before you."  
The courtesan shrugged. "I get my sleep where I can. But what's with all the screaming? Is someone being murdered?"  
Shiv shook her head. "Iria's being introduced to the aftermath of too much wine."  
Ranfan cringed. "Looked in the mirror yet?" The bounty huntress nodded and Ranfan cringed again. "That would explain the second scream I heard."  
"What's going on?" Fujikuro asked, running one hand through his hair. He stood calmly next to the others in the hall, unfazed.  
Iria stuck her head out the bathroom and made an exasperated noise. "It figures!" she griped. "It just figures that he can drink all that wine and not get hung-over. This is so not fair!"  
"Who said life was fair, Iria-chan?" Fujikuro leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Some of us are just naturally lucky. And some of us remembered to take their hang-over pill before they went to bed."  
Iria let out a small shriek, then glared at him. "So…you drool every night?"  
Fujikuro ducked his head while the others snickered. Before further comment could be made, the alarm went off. Everyone moved as quickly as possible to the computer console.  
"What's going on, Bob?" Shiv asked, typing with one hand.  
The computer entity's icon popped onto the screen. "Nothing life-threatening for once. Shiv, you've got a contract offer."  
The huntress licked her lips. "What kind of offer?"  
"An assassination. Off-world. Seems some colony world has a problem with a dictator. The opposing party heard you're a good shot."  
Shiv pushed her bangs out of her eyes. "How soon do they need me there?"  
"Midnight tomorrow. This is a rush job."  
"How much kem is involved?"  
"Half-a-million, non-refundable deposit. You get another half million when they get the corpse."  
Shiv cracked her knuckles. "Easy as hell. Tell them I'll be there as soon as I get my stuff in order."  
"You got it."  
Shiv stretched and made speed to the room she and Akira now shared. He raced after her. "What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, while she pulled out a large gray case from the closet.   
"I'm…taking…a job," she grunted, flopping back onto the bed and relinquishing the case to gravity.  
"We don't need the money!" Akira protested. He bent over her, the better to argue with her, but she placed a finger on his lips.  
" 'Kira-chan, listen to me. I need a job to keep me from getting restless. It'll keep me from going stir crazy on you. You don't want to see me stir crazy."  
"I bet not," he whispered, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "If you really want to go…I'm not dumb enough to try and stop you. Just be careful, okay?"  
"Always," she promised. "Now…I don't have to be there until midnight tomorrow. And I'm a very fast packer…"  
Akira kissed her again. "I'll get the door."  
  
*********  
HAHAHA!!!! You all knew it was coming eventually! Not one, but TWO marrage proposals in one chapter. How does she do it? (Caffine and sugar. Not much of a trade secret, but if it helps an aspiriing fanfic writer out there, that just warms my heart...)  
Have fun with chapter 10.   
Ja ne.  
~Kat~ 


	10. Sweet Little Lies

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story, Shiv, and Akira. They're mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 10: Sweet Little Lies  
  
It was very dark still; some hours before dawn. Shiv was several days gone, and something had woken up Iria out of a sound sleep. She could hear someone talking in hushed tones. Her first guess was that Akira was on the phone again. Due to the time difference between Myce and the planet Shiv had gone to, he could only get calls in at what would be the early hours of the morning, Myce time. Shiv's mission was taking a little longer than expected, so she remained offworld. However, she didn't mind much, because her contractors had offered to pay her extra compensation for every day she stayed over the original contract time. By the time she returned, the lady hunter would be filthy rich.  
But…that voice…it was too deep to be Akira…Must be Fujikuro, but…why would he be on the phone this late at night? Iria swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood, stretching a little. Quietly, she padded out into the hall and shuffled sleepily to the computer terminal. She smothered a yawn, noticing Fujikuro was still engrossed in his conversation with whoever it was. She stepped a little closer, blinking to make her eyes focus faster. Whoever he was talking to had dark-brownish hair and gray-green eyes. At first, Iria thought the hair was cut short, then noticed it was just pulled back. It was a young woman, not much older than Iria herself. Her features were familiar, and Iria felt she should know her from somewhere…  
"I haven't seen you in forever," the girl on the comm pleaded. "When are we going to get together? I miss ya, Fuj."  
Fujikuro chuckled. "I've been busy, Kiku-chan. I'll see you soon, I promise."  
"You'd better," she threatened playfully. "And you know…presents always get you out of the doghouse…" She trailed off, rolling her eyes skyward.  
"What do you want now?" Fujikuro asked, sighing dramatically.  
Kiku put a finger to her lips. "Let me see…A dress would be nice…"  
"Hey, Ki-chan, I help you with the bills, not keep you in the lap of luxury. There's a difference. Surely you've got enough customers…"  
Kiku sighed. "Yeah, I do…but they don't exactly cover the rent by themselves like you do…" She batted her eyelashes. "Come on, Fuj. I can't be expected to drag in new business wearing the same dress every day…"  
Fujikuro's shoulders sagged. "Just tell me your size…"  
The young woman on the line held up a hand. "Nope, don't go there, Fujikuro. You never ask a woman her dress size. It's impolite. I'll pick something out and just bill it to your account, kay?"  
Fujikuro shook his head. "You've got me wrapped around your finger…It's fine by me, Ki-chan. Just don't leave me bankrupt."  
Kiku nodded. "Whatever you say, Fuj-sama."  
"Okay, I'll see you…Thursday for lunch? Usual place?"  
"Fine by me. Ja ne, Fuj! By the way…who's your friend?" Kiku hung up and Fujikuro whipped around. His face flushed crimson and he mumbled incoherently for several minutes.   
"Hey, Iria…Why are you up so late?"  
She folded her arms across her chest. "Something woke me up."  
He tugged at the collar of his T-shirt which was already loose enough. "Um…wouldn't happen to be a phone call, would it?"  
Her eyes narrowed. "Mhm."  
He sighed. "Listen, Iria-chan, I can explain…"  
"You'd better!" she snapped. "It's not every girl that walks in at three AM to catch her fiancee on the phone with a hooker."  
Fujikuro scowled. "Kiku's no hooker, Iria! She's - "  
"An escort? A dancer? A close, personal female friend?!" Iria's voice was getting louder by the minute.  
"Dammit, Iria, if you'd let me explain - "  
"I'd get the same bullshit lie I already know you're going to tell me. What in hell did you think you were doing!"  
"I'll tell you if you give me a chance!"  
"You know something, I don't want to give you a chance!" Iria screamed. "I trusted you and you go off with some little whore you've obviously known for ages. If this is before the wedding, I'm glad I found out now! I'd hate to not have known about your personal call girl until we were married!"  
"She's not my personal call girl, dammit!"  
"You mean you share her with someone?" Iria countered. "You won't share counter space in the bathroom, but you'll share - "  
"That's it!" Fujikuro roared. "I've had it! I don't have to take this!"  
"You're damn right, you don't!" Iria shouted back. "But remember, this is my house! If anybody's storming out of here tonight, it's you!"  
"Let me get my stuff," Fujikuro growled, storming from the room. Iria heard his bedroom door slam open and assorted colorful curses while he pulled on his clothes in the dark. Akira, whose room was just down the hall, heard the noise and stuck his head out the door.  
"Fujikuro?" he yawned. "What'cha doing?"  
"None of your business!" came the growled reply. "If you really want to know, go ask the self-centered bitch in the living room!!"  
Akira ran a hand through his already tousled hair. "What the hell are you talking about?"  
"Fuck off," Fujikuro snapped.   
Akira jerked back in surprise. "Jeez, man. You don't have to get all pissed off about it. I was just wondering why the hell you're traipsing around your room in the dark. Excu-use me!"   
Fujikuro ignored him and stormed out of his room, a hastily packed bag in hand. "You put your pants on inside out," Akira muttered under his breath, following the steaming hunter to the living room.  
Fujikuro brushed past Iria without a word and left, slamming the door behind him. Akira raised an eyebrow. "What the hell's up with him?" he wondered out loud.  
"If you really wanna know, go ask the lousy bastard yourself!" Iria shouted, storming off to her room. Akira winced as he heard the door slam.  
"This," he murmured, "is the last time I ask anybody what's going on. I'd rather be in the dark than in the dark six feet under."  
  
Akira woke up the next morning to find Iria gone. He stumbled into the kitchen, made himself a quick breakfast, and curled up on the couch. "Hey, Bob," he called through a mouthful of cereal, "what was up with Iria and Fujikuro last night?"  
"They had a fight," the computer entity replied.  
Akira sighed dramatically. "I know that, but what about?"  
"Fujikuro was on the phone very late last night talking to a young woman. Iria walked in, dubbed the conversation suspicious and she and Fujikuro had a very loud shouting match."  
"Iria think the chick was a hooker or something?" Akira asked, twirling his spoon in the milk.  
"Exactly."  
Akira cringed. "That explains it. You know where she went?"  
Bob's icon shook left and right. "I haven't a clue."  
Akira sighed again and leaned his head back onto the couch. "This is gonna be painful…Damn, I wish Shiv was here…She'd know what to do…She knows everything…"  
Bob snickered. "That enamored with her, are you?"  
Akira sat up and smiled. "Yes, sir. You know what, call her up for me, would ya?"  
"Whatever you want," Bob said. "But…"  
"Yeah?"  
"You do realize that it's four in the morning on the world where she is, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"It's your funeral, buddy," Bob cautioned as he dialed.  
When Shiv picked up the phone, there was more than a little swearing and the sound of someone tripping and hitting the floor. "Hello?" she mumbled, tongue thick in her mouth.  
"Moshi-moshi, Shiv-chan!" Akira grinned, waving.  
"What the hell did you have for breakfast?" she growled. "Don't you know its four in the fucking morning?"  
"I know," he replied. "Listen, it seems there's problems with Iria and Fujikuro. Iria stumbled onto Fujikuro talking with some girl late last night and…she got a little more than the wrong idea. She thought the girl was a hooker and blew up at Fujikuro. He blew up back and it ended with him storming out. When I woke up this morning, she was gone and I had to get the details from Bob. Any suggestions?"  
Shiv had woken up a little more by this point and was frowning. "Okay…Fujikuro's most likely at the Red Dragon. If you don't see him in the main bar, ask the guy behind the bar where Sakaba is. She'll take you to him. Iria…hm…give me time to think about her. Just go get Fujikuro."  
"What do you mean go get him?" Akira demanded.  
"Sakaba will tell you what to do. She's been through it all before." Shiv sighed. "And God knows I have…Look, you go get him taken care of. Then call me back. Maybe by then I'll be able to tell you where I think Iria is."  
Akira sighed. "Fine, Shiv. Anything for you, babes."  
Shiv smiled. "That's my boy, 'Kira. You go find Sakaba, then call me. And everything will be fine."  
  
"Everything will be fine, she says," Akira growled as he side-stepped a man puking in the gutter. "Why did I listen to her? Why?"  
He slipped in quietly, muttering to himself. A few quick glances told him that Fujikuro wasn't seated anywhere, so he slipped up to the bartender. "Hey, buddy," he called. The man looked up. "I'm looking for Sakaba. You seen her?" The man pointed to a blond woman headed towards them, carrying a tray laden with empty glasses and mugs.   
"Sakaba!" the bartender called over the din. "This guy here is asking for you!"  
The woman raised an eyebrow. "What do you want?" she demanded. "First off, I won't fuck you and yes, oral counts. Second, lap dances are equally out of the question."  
Akira burst out laughing. "No, God, no! I'm not here for anything like that! Shiv sent me!"  
It was Sakaba's turn to laugh. "Well, that makes me happy on two counts! Follow me." She left the tray on the bar and headed for a back room. They passed through a curtain of beads, then came to a second doorway. This one was in sharp contrast to the first, as it was fortified steel and required a pass code. Sakaba typed the numbers with a well-manicured nail and led Akira on through. She smiled over her shoulder. "He's right through here. Shiv always has me keep him when he does something stupid like this."  
Akira rolled his eyes. "Should have known she'd have a plan."  
Sakaba laughed. "Please, kiddo, Shiv has a plan for everything. Now, just a little further."  
She led him on through a final doorway, where the identifiable form of Fujikuro was sprawled on a couch. Akira poked him hesitantly, to which he moaned, rolled over, and fell of the couch. He still didn't move much. Akira sighed and managed to hoist him back onto the couch. He looked pleadingly at Sakaba. "Can you keep him here, please? At least until he sobers up a little? I'll come back and get him as soon as I can, I swear."  
Sakaba shrugged. "Doesn't bother me any. I'll give you a call when he wakes up…Wait a sec, give me your number." Akira wrote it down on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to her. She pocketed it, smiling. "I'll keep an eye on the lug until he comes to. You'll be the first to know."  
Akira thanked her again and left, glad to be out of the bar. One problem solved. Now, back home. Shiv would be waiting for his call.  
  
"Okay, you've got Fujikuro taken care of?"  
Akira nodded. "Great," Shiv said. "Now, as for Iria…I've got an idea, but I'd rather hold off. I want to talk to Fujikuro first."  
Suddenly, Akira noticed a flashing light on the panel. "Hang on, babes, I've got another call."  
He switched over. "Hello?"  
"Hey, Akira?" It was Sakaba. "Look, Fujikuro's not awake yet, but he said something mid-hangover so I thought I'd call."  
"What did he say?" Akira asked.   
"Sounded like a name," Sakaba replied. "Something like 'Kiku.' Mean anything to you?"  
Akira shook his head. "Not yet, but thanks anyway." He switched back over to Shiv. "Shiv, that was Sakaba. She called to tell me Fujikuro said something in his…um…hung-over state. Sounds like 'Kiku' or something…?"  
Shiv's eyes went wide, then she burst out laughing. "Oh my God! That explains it!" She wiped tears of laughter from her eyes. "Akira, I know Kiku."  
"You do?!" he cried. "You know who Kiku is?"  
"Of course!" Shiv said, still smothering giggles. "Akira, Kiku is - "  
The screen was engulfed in static and the words "Signal Lost" flashed across the gray backdrop.  
  
********  
Cliffhanger again, but not really, cuz chapter 11's up. Therefore, semi-cliffhanger.  
So much for pre-marital bliss. You knew I couldn't have it just be all hearts and flowers now, didn't ya? Don't panic children, just let it run its course.  
Ja ne.  
~Kat~ 


	11. Chrysanthemum

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story, Shiv, and Akira. They're mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 11: Chrysanthemum  
  
Akira gaped in shock at the static covered screen. "Bob…" he managed out finally. "Can you attempt to reconnect the transmission?"  
"I can try," Bob answered. After several minutes, Bob's icon scrunched and stretched, as when he was in deep thought or troubled.   
"What's going on?" Akira asked.  
"Well…" the computer began. "It seems that it's not just a solar flare or bad transmitter…You know how there are political problems on the world where Shiv is?"  
"Of course, that's why they hired her in the first place. To take out the dictator."  
"It seems that the dictator, in an effort to reestablish his power, has had his military take control of the city. He's instituted martial law, and as one of his provisions, he has destroyed all communications transmitters save the one in his private residence. I can try and hack through, but I took a look and it's some forbidding stuff. I'm not sure I can get in."  
Akira frowned. "Can you get into the frequency on Shiv's bracelet? The one she uses with Daine and Ship?"  
"Most likely. I'll give it a try." Bob worked hard for some time, they let out a sigh of success. "That should do it. Talk to her, Akira."  
"Shiv?" he called hesitantly. "Can you hear me, Shiv?"  
"I can hear you fine," came the reply, though gunfire was evident in the background. "I'm not gonna ask how you pulled it off, but can you tell me what the hell's going on out here?"  
"It's martial law," Akira sighed. "The dictator's had the military take over the city. He destroyed all comm transmitters except his private one. I know you sighed a contract, babes, but --- "  
"Don't worry, kid, I've got it covered. There were clauses for this in the contract. The people I sighed up with aren't fools…or at least they weren't. I don't know what's gonna happen to them now…and anyway, I'm gonna get Ship over here and head for Myce as fast as I can. Time for some radio silence. Love you always, kiddo. See you soon, I promise."  
"Bye, Shiv," Akira whispered.  
He was standing there, staring at the console, when the door slid open and Kei waltzed in, with a girl Akira had never seen before trailing behind her. "Where have you been?" he demanded, hanging his head.  
"Out," Kei responded. She walked up to him, frowned, then waved a hand in front of his face. "S'matter with you? You sick or something?"   
Akira shook his head. "No, I'm fine."  
"Liar."  
"I'm fine, Kei."  
"You are not."  
"Are too."  
"Are not."  
"Are too."  
"Are not."  
"Are too."  
"Are not," piped up the new girl.  
Akira sighed. "Who are you?"  
"Niji," she said smiling.  
"Niji, I'm fine."  
"Are – "  
"Okay, just forget it," Akira interjected. "Just forget it."  
Niji shrugged. "Whatever, it's just you look like somebody flushed your goldfish or something. Excuse me for caring."  
Akira's eyes narrowed slightly. "Anybody ever tell you you're a pain?"  
Niji nodded. "All the time."  
The bounty hunter sighed in defeat. Kei continued frowning. "What happened?"  
"You really wanna know?"  
"Yeah."  
"Iria and Fujikuro had a big fight. Iria thinks he's seeing some hooker or something and he left. He's recovering from a hang-over at the Red Dragon bar and we don't know where she is. Meanwhile, the dictator on the world where Shiv is has cut off main communications and instituted martial law. She's trying to get off planet as we speak. Other than that, everything's fine."  
Kei's face was frozen in an unreadable expression. "The things that happen when I leave…" she murmured. Sighing, she placed on hand on Akira's shoulder. "Look, Fujikuro's not going anywhere and Shiv can take care of herself. As for the third person, I think I know where Iria may be."  
Akira brightened slightly. "You're serious?"  
"Of course," Kei beamed. "Now all we need is a ride."  
"We can take my ship. It's out front," Akira suggested.  
Kei nodded. "Sounds good. I'll give you directions once we get on the road."  
  
"Remind me again how you ended up in the back seat," Akira muttered.  
"Because I got in before you put the shield up," Niji chirped.  
"Damn, I need to work on my reaction time," Akira growled.  
"What was that?" Niji asked.  
"Nothing."  
"Stop here," ordered Kei from the passenger's seat.  
Akira did as he was instructed, set the brake, and the three piled out. Kei swept her gaze across the area.  
"What is this place?" Akira wondered, something about the atmosphere causing him to whisper.  
"This is where Iria grew up," Kei explained. "If there's any place she'd come, it'd be here. Look around for her."  
It wasn't long before they spotting a burgundy-cloaked figure in the distance. When Kei raced over and said something to her, Iria shook her head and Kei scowled. "If you won't listen to reason, fine!" Kei shouted, and stomped back to the approaching Akira. "You deal with her," she growled and yanked Niji back towards Akira's ship.  
"What? We just got here!" Niji protested, trying to pry Kei's hand from her collar.  
"And we're just leaving," Kei said, pulling harder.  
Akira walked up to Iria and began chewing on his lower lip, unsure of what to say.   
"Why'd you come here?" Iria asked.  
"Because…because I wanted to be sure that you were all right," Akira said and chewed his lip some more.  
"I'm fine. You can just head on back. I'll come home when I'm ready." Iria stared off into the distance.  
"I'm not so sure I agree with you," Akira said. "Listen, I talked to Shiv and she knows the girl that Fujikuro was talking to. She told me it was all right."  
"Did she say who she is?" Iria's interest was peaked.  
"No…but she's on her way back to Myce. She tell you when she gets here."  
"What about her contract?"   
"Let's just say things didn't pan out," Akira sighed. "She'll give you the details herself."  
"I'm sorry that I blew up at him," Iria whispered. "But I was so afraid that what we had was unstable…that I was ready to believe he'd broken my trust. I miss him. I want him back, Akira."  
"You'll get him back," came a voice.   
Akira spun around. "Can't be…"  
Shiv strolled up with her hands in her pockets and a grin on her face. "It is, kid. Seems Mr. Dictator wasn't as worried about the transit gates as he was the comm links. Once I was back here, it was easy enough to find you." She grinned wider. "I put a tracer on your ship, kiddo. Thought it might come in handy."  
Before she could say anything else, Akira had embraced her and was kissing her hard. "God, I missed you," he murmured.   
"I missed you, too, Akira," Shiv whispered and placed a kiss on his forehead. "I missed you so much…But before we celebrate, there's something I have to take care of." She looked over at Iria. "Iria, we're gonna go home, and when we get there, I'll explain everything."  
Iria nodded slowly. "Okay. I'll meet you guys back at the house."  
  
"Start talking, Shiv." Iria stared at the lady hunter across the couch.  
Shiv folded her hands, resting them on her knees. "Remember how I told you that Fujikuro always felt responsible for Jiko's death?" Iria nodded. "Jiko had a little sister. She was only younger than him by a few years, but she didn't have a job. Jiko used to give her part of his fees, so that she could live in her apartment. After Jiko died, Fujikuro took up the responsibility. He helps her make ends meet when her business is slow."  
"What exactly…is her business?" Iria asked.  
Shiv smiled. "She's an artist. She does portraits and other paintings for people."  
Iria looked at the floor, trying to make a pair of pieces fit. "But…I heard her say something about needing a dress…to get more business…"  
Shiv nodded patiently. "She picks up clients at various art shows. Kiku says that dressing up makes people look her way and consider her work. I think she just likes new clothes, but I won't argue with her." Shiv sighed. "She is awfully presumptuous, demanding, and more than a little bratty. But she's a good kid, Iria."  
Iria raised her eyes. "I want to apologize to him, Shiv."  
"Um…I don't think you're gonna have to wait too long." Akira pointed at the screen on the console. "It looks like Sakaba's downstairs."  
Shiv hurried over, typed for a moment, then waved at the screen. "Hey-ya, Saka-chan! What are you doing here?"  
The blond grinned and flashed the victory sign. "Nice ta see ya, Shiv-chan! I came to drop off your friend. He's almost, kind of, not really sobered up and he demanded to come here. Should I send him up?"  
Shiv thought for a moment, then looked back over her shoulder at Iria. When the red-head nodded, the black-hared woman told Sakaba, "Sure, and your fee will be in your account by noon tomorrow. With a little extra."  
Sakaba smiled wider. "Ah, Shiv, have I told you how wonderful you are?"  
Shiv's lips curled and the ends. "Many, many times, Sakaba. Usually when I give you money."  
Sakaba pretended to pout. "I'm hurt, Shiv."  
Shiv laughed. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just send Fuji up already."  
The blond blinked. "What? You mean he's not there?"  
Shiv faked one more smile. "Oh, wait…here he is. I'll call ya later, Sakaba."  
"Ja ne!" said Sakaba and the screen flicked into static.  
"Where is he?" Iria demanded.  
"Why do you always have to ask?" Shiv sighed. "The roof, baka, the roof."  
  
********  
Yes, everyone's favorite plot device, THE ROOF!!! *LMAO*   
BTW, for anyone interested, Sakaba's name literally means "bar." I was really bored and my Japanese dictionary was calling from under my desk. Anyone else think its weird that the dictionary has exactly 666 pages? Maybe it's just me.  
Ja ne.  
~Kat~ 


	12. Kiss and Takeout

Disclaimer: I don't own Iria (though I wouldn't mind it….) and I'm not making any money off this. (If I was, do you think you'd see this disclaimer?) The only thing I own here is this story, Shiv, Akira, Kiku and Niji. They're mine, do you hear me? Mine! *laughs nervously* Okay…on with the show…..  
Rating: PG-13 - language, violence, and innuendo  
Ghosts of the Past  
Part 12: Kiss and Take-out  
  
Fujikuro leaned against the railing, gripping it tightly with both hands. She hated him. She hated him. She hated him. She fucking hated him. Why hadn't he just told her about Kiku from the beginning? She would have understood…But no, he had to keep up the fact that it was supposed to be a secret. He closed his eyes and shuddered, flashing back to Jiko's funeral. That casket…Kiku had been bawling her eyes out…And Shiv had one arm around the girl's shoulder, her face had been so cold…Her eyes didn't laugh anymore…And Fujikuro had stood there, knowing it was his words that had sent Jiko off, sent him to his death…It was sometimes to much for him to bear.  
He stiffened, hearing the footsteps up the stairs. He knew without turning around that Iria was there, along with two other people. Shiv and Akira, it had to be, though his brain couldn't quite guess how the other lady hunter had gotten out of her contract.   
"Please leave," he said in such an even voice that he surprised himself. "Leave, or I will either jump or throw you off."  
"No, you won't." Iria…Cold chills ran down his spine. "If you jump, I'll just follow you."  
"And if I throw you?" He couldn't believe how serious he sounded.  
"Then you'll jump."  
"And who will follow me then?"  
"Would you shut up with the damn philosophy and listen to the girl?!" Shiv sounded somewhat more pissed off than usual. "I explained everything to her and she has something she wants to say."  
Fujikuro was silent for a moment. "I'm waiting."  
"Fujikuro, I'm so sorry. I…I didn't want to hear what you had to say because I was afraid that all that we had could fall apart." She looked at him with sorrowful crimson eyes. "Forgive me, Fujikuro. I was an idiot and I know that you probably won't, but I need you to say that you don't hate me. I couldn't live with myself if you hated me. Please."  
Fujikuro tightened him grip on the rail. He thought he felt something wet in his eyes, but it was probably just something that had gotten flicked in there making his eyes water. He gave the railing a final squeeze, spun around and gave Iria a sound smack across the face. Before anyone could react, he was kissing her and crying, his tears mingling with hers. "Will you trust me from now on?" he asked her.  
"Yes," she whispered, voice choked. "Yes, I will trust you. Just don't leave."  
"I promise."  
Iria smiled, brushing tears from her cheeks. "You can't promise me that."  
"The hell I can't." Fujikuro flashed his best grin and kissed her again.  
Still kissing, the couple headed for the stairs. Shiv and Akira stared after them. "If they don't quit looking at each other , they're gonna end up falling down those stairs and one of 'em will twist their ankle," Akira sighed.   
Shiv looked at him with a devious smile. "I bet we can beat them to our room."  
Akira grinned. "Race ya."   
  
Iria and Fujikuro had barely shut the door to her room, when it opened again and Kei came flying out into the hall. She landed with a thud and scowled over her shoulder at the re-closed door. "You guys had better be using protection!" she screamed at the door. "Unless you want a bunch of little me-s running around!"  
"You're not even our biological kid!" Fujikuro hollered back.  
"So?!" Kei protested, then scowled further when she heard the sound of something large and heavy being dragged in front of the door.  
Suddenly, she heard scuffling noises further down the hall and Shiv's door flew wide open. Niji soared about a foot before hitting the floor. "You guys are mean!" she yelled at the closing door.  
"We're are not!" a voice that sounded like Akira's replied.  
"Yeah, you're horny," Niji muttered.  
"I heard that!" Shiv hollered.  
"Don't care!" Niji screamed back.  
When she didn't get a response, the girl continued grumbling to herself for several minutes, then looked up and smiled at Kei. "You, too, huh?"  
Kei sighed. "Yeah, I hid under the bed. They kinda got suspicious when it went 'ouch' when they sat down."  
Niji chuckled. "Man, you're better at this than me. I was in the closet. When I said something about all the lacy black nighties, I guess it wasn't entirely to myself."  
Kei burst out laughing. After a few minutes, she managed to wipe the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Oh, I knew I liked you from the minute I saw you. Seeing as how everyone else is going to be occupied for a while, wanna head into town? There's this awesome place with the best damn Chinese food you ever had."  
Niji stood up, smiling. "I am getting hungry…but how are we gonna get there?"  
Kei flashed a smile. "Hey, I can drive the creeper. And we'll be back before they even notice."  
"And if we're not?" Niji folded her arms across her chest.   
"We'll bring them back some take-out and hope they don't ask too many questions."  
Niji fluffed her bangs and the two girls headed for the garage.  
  
"I mean, can you believe that Iria thought Kiku was a hooker?" Kei reached for another helping of the chicken fried rice.  
"I know! Did you order the General Tao platter?"  
"No, I thought you did. We'll grab the waiter when he comes back. Anyway, I was thinking about something we could do for their weddings, you know?"  
"Yeah, like what?" Niji licked a piece of vegetable from her upper lip.  
"Well…Kiku's an artist and she does portraits and stuff for people…" Kei paused to snatch and egg roll.  
"So you were thinking we could have her do paintings of Iria and Fujikuro an' Shiv and Akira? Sounds awesome!" Niji refilled her teacup from the pot on the table; as an afterthought, she topped off Kei's. "But how are we going to get them to go and pose for her if we want to keep it a surprise?"  
"We don't have them go and pose." Kei grinned at her friend across the table.  
"Um…" Niji raised an eyebrow. "Unless this Kiku is a psychic as well, we're gonna be in a bit of deep shit."  
"No, no, we don't need them to go and pose!" Kei said, rapidly growing more excited. "We'll give her a picture of them and have her paint the picture!" She pulled out her wallet. "See, I've got one for Iria and Fujikuro already." Kei withdrew a slightly bent photo of Iria and Fujikuro dressed up, at some kind of party. It was the photo Shiv had taken at the Myce Historical Society Ball; true to her word, she'd kept the negatives and slipped Kei a copy.  
"Now all we need is a photo of Shiv and Akira," Kei said.  
Niji smiled and pulled an envelope from her jacket pocket. "I found this on the floor of Shiv's closet. I guess it's the klepto in me, 'cause I just grabbed it and Shiv didn't seem to notice when she tossed me out the door."  
Kei took the envelope from her friend eagerly. Opening the flap, she took out a handful of photographs and began to sift through them. She and Niji leaned over the table, pointing and discussing the likelihood of a particular one being portrait material.   
"Look at this one! Do you think they were drunk?"  
Niji shook her head. "No, her face isn't red enough. Not like this one…"  
"Okay, you're right…This one's nice."  
"Yeah, they're smiling…It does look the best of the ones so far." Niji set it off to the side and picked up a few pictures to look through herself. "Oh my God!"  
"What?" Kei looked up from the blurred photo in her hands.  
"Tell me honestly, what exactly do you think they're doing in this one?"  
Kei took the snapshot Niji handed her. The other girl laughed as Kei's face began to twitch. "Oh my…this one is…definitely not the one we're picking."  
"Got that right," Niji giggled. "But you have to wonder about whoever developed these…"  
Kei clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, man! Bet they had a nosebleed from here to kingdom come!"  
The pair burst out laughing and had to struggle to stay in their chairs; thankfully, they only received odd looks from a few waiters as the restaurant was mostly empty. After Niji wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes, she said, "Hey, how about as soon as we find the picture we want, we head over to Kiku's tonight?"  
Kei shrugged, tossing a piece of tempura chicken in her mouth. "Sounds all right to me."  
Niji prepared an assault on the last eggroll, then stopped, the edge of a photo catching her eye. She pulled it out from underneath several other snapshots, eyes widening. "I think we've found a winner. Kei, look at this."  
Kei licked her fingers and twisted her neck to get a better look. In the picture, Shiv was wearing an emerald green dress that brought out her eyes. Akira wore an elegant tuxedo and had one arm around Shiv. The pair were smiling beautifully. Kei smiled back at them. "This is definitely it." After stealing the final eggroll, she looked back up at a scowling Niji. "Ready to go?"  
Niji sighed and nodded. They paid the bill and left, carrying a large bag of take-out as insurance.  
  
"Are you sure this is the place?" Kei buffed the nameplate on the door with her sleeve.   
"It was the only listing for an art gallery that cross-referenced with the name Kiku." Niji shrugged, then pulled a scrap of paper from her pocket. "Chrysanthemum Salon. This is it. You gonna knock?"  
Kei sighed. "Whatever." She rapped on the door three times, paused, and got ready to knock again when the girls heard a voice from inside.  
"Coming! Wait, hold on; I'm coming!" The door flew open, to reveal a young woman a year or so Iria's junior. Her dark brown hair was done up in a sloppy bun, held in place by a hair scrunchie. She wore a pair of paint-spattered overalls with a white men's T-shirt underneath.  
She grinned, gray-green eyes flashing. "How are you? Here for anything special?"  
"Actually, we'd kinda like to ask you a favor," Niji began. "May we come in?"  
"Oh, sure!" Kiku moved out of the doorway and stepped aside. "Come on." She led the two girls into the living room. Kei and Niji stared in awe; the room was painted floor to ceiling in various elaborate murals. Stars and moons swept across the ceiling and a giant sun took up the floor. Thick jungles with fantasy creatures covered the walls.  
"Did you do all of this?" Niji asked, breathless.  
"Yeah, but not all at once," Kiku said. "It usually takes me a couple of weeks just to do one area. So, what exactly is it you two are here for?" All three took seats on a couch.  
"Well, we're trying to put together a wedding present for some friends of ours," Kei said. "We'd like you to do portraits of two couples, based off of some photos. It's a surprise, so that's why we're using pictures instead of people."  
Kiku nodded enthusiastically. "I get it. Can I see what I'm going to be working with?" Kei handed the artist the two photos they'd selected. Kiku nodded approvingly at Shiv and Akira's picture, then gasped at the other. "Oh my God! This is Fujikuro, isn't it?!" She looked up at the two girls. "He's getting married?! I can't believe it!"  
Kei and Niji grinned. "You'd better believe it," Kei said.  
Kiku grinned back. "This is going to be the best project ever."  
"Don't you know her, too?" Niji asked, pointing to Shiv's picture.  
Kiku's brow furrowed in concentration. "You know, she looks a lot like this girl my brother used to date…named Shiv."  
"That's her," Niji chirped.   
Kiku froze. "Seriously?" she whispered. "She looks so different all dressed up…and that guy…he looks so much like my brother…" Unshed tears glittered in the artist's eyes.   
"I'm glad she found somebody," she murmured. "She was so lonely…It's good to see her happy again…"  
Kiku looked up quickly, smiling. "You know what? Forget the charge. This is gonna be part of my wedding present, too. If you girls don't mind, that is," she added.  
Kei and Niji shook their heads. "No, fine by us," Kei said, then grinned. "Actually, you'd be doing us a favor. I'm not quite sure how we'd have paid you otherwise."  
Kiku laughed. "Hey, at least you're honest." She stood. "Come into the kitchen with me. I wanna fix us all a snack before you have to go. And you two can catch me up on the latest gossip."  
Kei and Niji flashed each other evil looks. "Have we got some stories for you…"  
  
*******  
And thus everyone has sex and Kiku gets a bigger part in the story. Hurrah.  
Now entering the chapter drought. I'm not sure where exactly I'm going, so prepare for a long time with no update. Don't kill me please. Thanks.  
Ja ne.  
~Kat~ 


End file.
